The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-14
CELESTE'S WEDDING.

distant twenty hours from Paris, !
arrived there about ten in the forenoon,
and was greatly surprised to find the
streets which are generally so S. ent and
peaceful, unusually animated Groups
of men were standing in front OF the
shops, women were gossiping at the
windows, young men and young girls
were vending their way toward the
public square, while urchins were run-
ming about in every direction.
The Hotel of Commerce, my Gus
tomary stopping place. seemed upside
down. Travellers, who had been aban-
doned to their fate by the walters, were
tugging furiously at their bell cords,
one calling for his boots, another for
his breakfast, this one wanted bis mail,
that one his paper, while the corridors
were the scene of an indesc-ibable con-
fusion. The master of the house, o
stout, jovial man, known to all as Father
Philip, Travelled up stairs and down,
perspiring, painting, and fumbling at q
loss as to which call he should answer
first. I stopped him as he was going
by.
'Hello! Father Philip" said I with a
laugh, "what's the matter! Are your
servants on str;ke?'
"Ahr' replied he, as he mopped his
face furiousl ly with his handkerchief,
"don't speak of it sir. Although I had
forbidden it, they have all gone to the
wedding. Ah here they are now, COM
ing back! It is about timep
With contrite looks and hanging
heads, the three walters were returning
as he said, sneaking along the wall.
But father Philip, red as a boiled lob
ster, had caught sight of them, and
without waiting for explain ations, he
bawled at the top of his voice:
"Say, are you all trying to make q
fool of me7 Augusta, chocolate to z,
coffee with milk to II, letters to O.!
Emile's 16's boots, G's hat, Petit Journal
to q No. is bill! Jules, las break
fast, the Time Table for 21."
Without questions, August, Emile and
Jules disappeared up the staircase as if
by magic. We heard them scurrying
along the halls on the upper floor; doors
were slammed and five minutes later the
house had recovered its usual serenity.
Then only did Father Philip become
more calm and turning to me he said:
"Why, you have not been relieved of
your vallse yet. I beg your pardon.
All! my hear sir, one is anything but
happy when he has to deal with such
scamps! But then I cannot be angry
with them to-day. The whole town is
topsey-turvcy on account of the we'd
ding"
"Whose wedding2"
"Ah! that's so. You have just ar
rived and could not know. It is the
marriage of Mile. BondurandW
In uttering this last sentence Father
Philip was very probably under the i'm
preston that I was going to exclaim:
THAT accounts for It'll" as he seemed
most unpleasantly surprised when I
replied, without dreaming that I might
give ofense: II can't see why the mar
riagc of that particular lady should have
revolutionizcd the town in this way"
He disdainfully stuck out his neither
lip, sure sign that he was pouting, or
as his waiter would say, Showing his
lip" Still, he was on the point of ex-
planning why such cause had produced
SO good an effect, when the rumbling of
carriages resounded in the street and the
air was filled with cries of "Here they
come! here they comeW
1t was the wedding-the famous we'd
ding of Mile. Bondurand---wh after
the ceremony at the town hall and at
church was passing by the hotel on its
way to the BRIDES residence. 1t was
followed bya crowd of idlers who ran
along, shouting, waving their hats, and
showing each other, even under tho
horses feet, as they scrambled in the
dust after the sugar-plums the grooms-
men were throwing by handfuls through
the carriage windows.
We had posted ourselves on the stoop
to get better view of the cortege as
it went by. Father Philip shared in
the general enthusiasm, and seemed
hugely delighted as he pointed out to
me tho family and the invited guests.
"There is Monsieur Bondurand, the
brides father, in the second carriage.
dell0l MS Wlle IS not WIN MIN
Parbleu, she has got into her daughter s
vehicle. That bald-headed gentleman
is our sous prefet.
"And who is that peasant woman in
full drcss2 She seems quite impressed
by the grand company in which she
finds herself"
"That is the groom's mother, old
Mime. Florent. Doesn't the worthy
woman seem happy3 Anyhow, there
she is, for the first time in her life, rid
ing in carriage.
"The groom is not rich man thenT'
"Who! Jacques Florent9 Why, he
hasn't cent to his name"
"And his wife2"
"Aille. Celeste Bondurand has a
dowry of 500, 900 francs, without men
tioning future expectations.
monsieur Jacques Florent has fallen
into a wcll-lincd nest"
Master Philip smiled approvingly.
As his eyes fell upon the occupants of
two of the carriages in the cortege, he
suddcnly exclaimed: